Created by Anisha Rai
over 8 years ago
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Question | Answer |
What are pathogens? | Micro-organisms that cause infectious disease |
How fast do bacteria and viruses reproduce inside the body? | Rapidly |
What does bacteria pproduce that make us feel ill? | Poisons (toxins) |
How do viruses cause damage? | They live and reproduce inside cells |
How do white blood cells help to defend against pathogens? | Ingesting pathogens Produce antibodies - destroy particular bacteria or viruses Produce antitoxins - counteract toxins released by pathogens |
Why does the immune system produce specific antibodies? | To kill specific pathogens |
What does this lead to? | Immunity from that pathogen |
What can dead or inactivated pathogens stimulate? | Antibody production |
What is reduced if a large proportion of the population is immune to a pathogen? | The spread of the pathogen |
How can people be immunised against a disease? | By introducing small quantities of dead or inactive forms of the pathogen into the body (vaccine) |
What do vaccines do? | Stimulate the white blood cells to produce antibodies that destroy the pathogen This makes the person immune to future infections by the microorganism |
Why do vaccines make the person immune to further infections by the micro-organism? | Because the body can respond by rapidly making the correct antibody, in the same way as if the person had previously had the disease |
What is the MMR vaccine? | It is used to protect children against measles, mumps and rubella |
What are the advantages of being vaccinated? | Protects individuals against disease Prevents epidemics and pandemics Prevents you spreading the disease to others Prevents greater cost of treating infected patients |
What are the disadvantages of being vaccinated? | Not guaranteed to work or provide 100% protection Possible side effects Can be unpleasant or painful Inconvenient booster injections |
Some medicines, including painkillers, help to relieve the symptoms of infectious disease. Do they kill the pathogens? | No |
What are antibiotics? | Medicines that help to cure bacterial disease by killing infective bacteria inside the body. It is important that specific bacteria sould be treated by specific antibiotics. The use of antibiotics has greatly reduced deaths from infectious bacterial diseases |
Give an example of an antibiotic | Penicillin |
Can antibiotics kill viral pathogens? | No |
Why is it difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses? | Because the live and reproduce inside cells, it is hard to find drugs that will kill viruses without also damaging the body's tissues |
What do mutations of pathogens produce? | New strains |
What do individual resistant pathogens do? | Survive and reproduce, so the population of the resistant strain rises |
What may no longer be effective against a new resistant strain of the pathogen? | Antibiotics Vaccinations |
What do pathogens do to produce resistant strains? | Mutate |
What have strains of bacteria developed a resistance to? | Antibiotics |
Give an example of a resistant strain of bacteria | MRSA |
What has increased the rate of development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria? | Overuse Inappropriate use |
What action has been taken in order to slow down the rate of development of resistant strains? | Antibiotics are not currently used to treat non-serious infections such as mild throat infections |
What does the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria necessitate? | The development of new antibiotics |
What are uncontaminated cultures of micro-organisms required for? | Investigating the action of disinfectants and antibiotics |
How is this experiment kept sterile? | Petri dishes and culture media must be sterilised before use to kill unwanted micro-organisms Inoculating loops used to transfer micro-organisms to the media must be sterilised by passing them through a flame |
Why is the lid of the Petri dish secured with adhesive tape? | To prevent micro-organisms from the air contaminating the culture |
Why is the Petri dish stored upside down? | To prevent bacteria falling onto the agar surface |
In school and college laboratories, what is the maximum temperature a culture should be stored in? | 25 Degrees Celcius |
What is the effect of this? | It greatly reduces the likelihood of the growth of pathogens that might be harmful to humans |
In industrial conditions, what can higher temperatures produce? | More rapid growth |
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